News

The Law Society of Scotland has advised that upcoming property settlements may be delayed because of an IT outage with a key Scottish government agency service. The Law Society has been contacted by a number of members about the Register of Insolvencies. The register has been offline since Wednesday

A University of Dundee study will give volunteer jurors from across Scotland the opportunity to deliver their verdict on the future of digital crime fighting. The university’s Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science (LRCFS) is recruiting members of the public as part of research focusi

A 'special case' between the Faculty of Advocates and the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland over qualifications for shrieval office is to be heard next week at the Court of Session. The Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 requires anyone applying for shrieval office to have been “legally

A feminist barrister who criticised a judge's ruling in her case as having "echoes of the 'boys' club'" has been cleared of misconduct by an English tribunal. The Bar Standards Board (BSB) brought Dr Charlotte Proudman before its disciplinary tribunal after she posted a series of tweets about the ju

Rapper Ludacris narrowly avoided being recognised after being summoned for jury service in his home town of Atlanta, Georgia. In a video posted to Instagram, the three-time Grammy Award-winning rapper and actor shows off his cunning disguise of a mask, sunglasses and hood as he walks out of the cour

Victims of domestic abuse are among those invited to share their views as part of a Holyrood inquiry into the financial implications of leaving an abusive relationship. The Social Justice and Social Security Committee is running the inquiry to find out what support women leaving abusive relationship

The Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland (CFoIS) celebrates its 40th anniversary at a special conference in Glasgow today. Since 1984, CFoIS has been associated with all FOI legal reform in Scotland and continues to focus on the importance of a robust, enforceable access to information la

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. 'More than 300' Israeli air strikes in Syria since fall of Assad, says war monitor

A drug trafficker who set himself up as counter-surveillance expert to safeguard gangland criminals from law enforcement agencies has had a serious crime prevention orders (SCPO) imposed. Ian Sweeney, 53, of Salsburgh, North Lanarkshire, was sentenced to two years in prison at the High Court in Glas

Jury trials are under threat in England and Wales following the announcement of a review into the criminal courts, to be led by Sir Brian Leveson. Newly released statistics show that the Crown Court backlog has reached a record high. The review will consider the case for new “intermediate cour

New amendments lodged in the Scottish Parliament this week must deliver on a government promise to reverse proposed political controls over the way lawyers work, the Law Society of Scotland has said. The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill was lodged in April of last year. While many parts

PBW Law has promoted Michael McKitrick to senior solicitor. Mr McKitrick began his professional journey with PBW Law in 2019 when he worked part-time for the firm whilst completing his diploma at the University of Strathclyde. Prior to this, he studied for his LLB at the University of Stirling.

A family is suing the makers of an AI chatbot which allegedly encouraged their teenager to murder them for restricting their internet access. The Character.AI chatbot allegedly told the 17-year-old: "You know sometimes I’m not surprised when I read the news and see stuff like 'child kills pare

The dispute resolution and litigation team at Shoosmiths in Scotland has underlined the growing demand for its legal advice across key sectors, revealing a robust growth in financial performance over the last three years. The practice, co-led in Scotland by partners Andrew Foyle and Stuart Clubb, ch

A new law which could result in bosses of major polluters being jailed for up to 20 years will be introduced at Holyrood next year. The Ecocide Prevention Bill, proposed by Monica Lennon, has enough cross-party support to be introduced. Ecocide is the mass destruction of ecosystems and includes oil